Fade in: Wednesday in Washington, former Donald Trump butler and almost-former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made his White House debut, helping host a worthy forum on opioid addiction.

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Christie, who has seen drug addiction destroy someone close to him, brought clarity and emotion to a wrenching conversation.

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As head of a new presidential commission on the crisis, the big guy in the big job moves onto a passion project that will no doubt give him a sense of purpose as he looks for any escape from Trenton and the worst approval level of anyone since the invention of opinion surveys.

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Cut to: Federal court in Newark, where two Christie flunkies are moving on to something far less auspicious.

Two former allies of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were sentenced to prison Wednesday for their roles in a conspiracy to shut down the nations busiest bridge an act of political retribution dubbed Bridgegate that is thought to have seriously damaged Christies career, though he himself was not charged with a crime.

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William E. Baroni Jr., 45, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, and Bridget Anne Kelly, 44, Christies former deputy chief of staff, was sentenced to 18 months, according to the Justice Department. The two were convicted late last year of conspiring to tie up traffic on the George Washington Bridge to get revenge on a local mayor who refused to support Christies re-election bid.

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We are satisfied that the sentences handed down today are a just result, acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said in a statement. The defendants unlawful use of their government positions and government resources to settle a petty political score was a flagrant breach of their duty to the public and reflected a callous disregard for the welfare of the people of New Jersey. These sentences are fair and appropriate.

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The case was notable in its own right but mostly because of the string of allegations it produced against New Jerseys governor once a rising Republican star who ran for president and was thought to be a contender for a position in President Trumps White House. On Wednesday, Christie, tapped by Trump to lead an effort to battle Americas opioid crisis, appeared at a roundtable discussion with the president in the White House.